Security and economy on The Belt and Road : [electronic resource] three country case studies / Henrik Hallgren and Richard Ghiasy

SIP1723

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the result of a convergence of multiple Chinese domestic drivers and external developments. It holds significant potential to contribute to greater connectivity and stability in participating states, yet there is a need to include a wider spectrum of local and international stakeholders in order to address concerns and mitigate backlashes.

As shown in this SIPRI Insights Paper, projects on the scale of those implemented within the BRI inevitably become part of existing local and cross-border security dynamics. They may also expose, and sometimes exacerbate, local institutional weaknesses. Examples of these issues are found in the three countries studied here: Belarus, Myanmar and Uzbekistan.

China is taking a more active role in security cooperation, driven by its increased stake in the success of the BRI. Its actions show the evolving nature of its non-interference policy. To date, however, Chinese engagement within the BRI does not display a consistent way of addressing the complex security issues.

The BRI was previously known as ‘One Belt, One Road’ (or OBOR), but that title carried a notion of singularity, i.e. merely one Belt and one Road, and a deficiency of flexibility and stakeholder input.
Therefore, ‘initiative’ was added. In Chinese, however, the title has not changed and is still: 一带一

"December 2017"

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